Trump Adjusts Steel Aluminum and Copper Tariffs to Bolster Domestic Production

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2026 — President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation today adjusting tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, and copper to address national security threats and spur domestic production.

The proclamation, issued under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, applies to importers, domestic manufacturers in the steel, aluminum, and copper sectors, agricultural producers who use these metals in equipment and infrastructure, homebuilders, and industries that manufacture products containing these materials.

The White House fact sheet states the adjustments will protect critical American industries without specifying exact tariff rates or volume thresholds.

The updates modify the tariff structure previously in place on these metals. The new rates take effect immediately upon the proclamation's signing on June 2, 2026. The prior tariff regime, first imposed in 2018 and modified in subsequent years, had exempted certain countries and product categories; the latest changes tighten those parameters to better align with current national security assessments.

Downstream, U.S. steel, aluminum, and copper producers gain additional price protection that the administration expects will trigger new capital investment in domestic mills and smelters. Importers must recalculate landed costs and may shift sourcing to domestic suppliers or countries not subject to higher duties.

Federal agencies responsible for enforcing trade remedies at the border will update compliance guidance within weeks. Congress retains authority to review Section 232 actions but faces no automatic deadline from this proclamation. Domestic manufacturers in housing and agriculture now operate under altered input costs that could influence bidding on federally supported infrastructure projects.

This is the latest in a series of Trump administration actions on metals tariffs. The original steel and aluminum tariffs were imposed in March 2018 under the same statutory authority after the Commerce Department determined imports threatened national security.

Copper was added to the Section 232 portfolio in later determinations. The White House fact sheet released today frames the adjustments as refinements designed to expand U.S. production of strategic metals used across multiple supply chains.

Primary sources: White House Fact Sheet